Untitled
by Sasoriza No Onna
Summary: [Set pre Chuunin exams, slight AU.] When a ninja from the Sound sent to seek out promising shinobi sets his sights on Team Gai, what chaos should result? Only time will tell. Rated for mild violence and possible cursing.


**Disclaimer:** Naruto is copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. Obviously, I'm not Mashashi Kishimoto, therefore I cannot claim ownership of it.

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It was a quiet day in Otogakure- Not that this was anything novel, since it only contained roughly fifty or so shinobi in total, and things were always rather uneventful for anybody who wasn't a close companion of the Otokage himself. Still, most everyone savored the still of the day, no exceptions given.

"It's so _boring _today!" Lamented Kin, reclining against a dead tree as the weak spring sunlight beat down on the back of her neck. "It's like everyone died or something..." Dosu smirked from beneath his covering of bandages, staring off into space from a branch above her.

"Or something. I've wondered what's been going on; After all, Orochimaru-sama's been acting weird lately." He muttered

"Maybe it's the weather?" Zaku suggested through a bite of _onigiri_, pretending not to notice as Kin recoiled in disgust when he spoke. "I'm not sure, otherwise. But he always acts weird, so why are you worried?" Suddenly, a kunai speared the bark just a few inches to the left of his head, making him sway awkwardly out of the way with a yelp. Zaku turned back to glare at a gangly, dark-skinned man that sat grinning on a nearby roof- The guilty thrower of the knife.

"What are you doing here, Umemaru?" Dosu asked, still not looking behind him. "I thought you had better things to do than throw things at poor, defenseless young genin...Or do you have the right to because you're not even of a higher rank than us." The man laughed, brushing away a stray lock from his mane of plaited violet hair and resting his arms behind his head.

"Always the bitter one, weren't we, Dosu?" Umemaru remarked, grinning wolfishly and drawing a katana from the sheath at his hip. "You're probably just upset becuase I startled your little friend down there, and you couldn't do anything to pay me back if you tried." Dosu merely went back to staring into the trees. Zaku, however, snarled and picked up another onigiri.

"No, it's just that you're not worth the effort!" He exclaimed, throwing it at Umemaru. He leered and sliced it in half with the katana, sending a shower of moist rice down from the rooftop like snowflakes. Unfortunately, at that moment Kabuto walked into the midst of the fray, only to be saturated with particles of falling rice. Twitching, he shook some of it out of his hair and looked up from in front of the eaves. Everyone stifled laughter as he crossed his arms and turned to address the offender.

"Hello, Umemaru." Kabuto said dryly, "Sorry to interrupt your enjoyment, but Orochimaru-sama requires you to meet him back at his chambers immediately. We'll be waiting for you there." Smirking and choking back laughter, Umemaru mock-saluted him and replied, "Of course, Kabuto-taichou. I'll be there in just a minute!" Kabuto gave a sigh of annoyance and walked away, listening to the bray of high-pitched giggles behind him.

---

"Well, where is he?" Orochimaru snapped, glaring at Kabuto from the darkness as he tapped his foot in impatience.

"He should be here any moment, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto said hesitantly. "I called him here a moment ago and said that you wanted to speak to him, but-"

His words were cut off abruptly by an almighty _bang _that made the walls of the darkened lair rattle. Umemaru appeared before them in a cloud of smoke, coughing and straightening the purple bow around his waist as he kneeled.

"You called?" He asked,facepointed towards the ground. His breathing was shaky, and he seemed to be utterly thrilled to be in the same room as the Sennin, though his tone was calm and collected. Orochimaru smirked, and Kabuto rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Umemaru-kun...I have a job for you." He replied. The younger man's pale eyes widened. Trembling with anticipation, he inquired, "And what sort of job would it be, Orochimaru-sama? A mission to another village, perhaps?"

"How perceptive of you." Orochimaru mused. "That happens to be exactly what I had in mind. You're intelligent enough; Tell me, would you happen to know how to find your way to Konohagakure, preferably without being captured or killed?" Umemaru nodded furiously. "Good. Then I want you to scour the village for any promising test cases, and bring them back here if you can. Do you think you can do that?" More nodding, slower this time. "Fine...I hope you can handle a solo mission. You're dismissed."

"T-thank you, Orochimaru-sama." Umemaru stammered, bowing awkwardly and rising to his feet. "You won't be disappointed!" He glared briefly at Kabuto and vanished from sight again, leaving the two others to sit in silence for a moment. Then, a sly grin formed on both of their faces.

"...You actually managed to get rid of him."Kabuto murmured, still stunned. "I didn't think it was possible."

"I didn't either." Orochimaru said, sounding uncertain. "Though I believe I've just made a horrible mistake..."

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A/N: So ends chapter one! Part deux will follow it soon, so in the meantime, feel free to offer your constructive criticisms if you want. Also, here's a key to two of the Japanese words or terminology in the story;

_Onigiri_: A small cake made of rice

_-Taichou_: A term of respectreferring tosomeone of a higher rank, i.e. captain.


End file.
